International Yoga Training Centres

Spinal Twisting With Lalit

Posted on: 19 February, 2018

Practice

Here you can follow our school founder Lalit through this short spinal twisting sequence. This sequence can be practiced anytime, but is particularly great in the morning to rejuvenate your spine and energise your body.

Spinal Twists

Twisting asanas, like all types of poses in Yoga, range from the simpler more accessible poses, like Ardha Matsyendrasana, to the more advanced, like Marichyasana D, that seemingly tie you up in knots.

Whatever the level of twist you are practising the foundational principles remain the same. Start by finding length all the way along the spine when moving into the twist. By creating length along the spine we bring space between the vertebrae. Spinal twists are a very safe and healthy way of decompressing the vertebrae that can become over-compressed from long periods of activities like sitting at a desk or driving. It’s this decompression created by spinal twists that energises the body and the mind.

Benefits of Twists

One of the physical benefits of all of our asana practice is that it encourages us to find ranges of movement that we don’t always employ in our day to day. Twists are a particularly great example of this because they bring rotation to the spine, which is a movement that is easily missed as we get caught up in the linear, front-to-back, motions of daily life.

As well as improving spine mobility, twisting asanas are also a very safe way of stretching the lower back muscles. This is why twists are a very accessible way for people suffering from muscular lower back issues to stretch into this area of the body.

Lalit’s video above is a great place to start exploring spinal twists as a beginner, or a way to grow your awareness in these poses for the more experienced practitioners. As you practice through this sequence become aware of the space created between the vertebrae in each twisting pose, and start to notice how this effects you energetically.